Enemy Mine (1985)

During a long space war, the lives of two wounded enemies become dependent on their ability to forgive and to trust.

Director:

Wolfgang Petersen

Writers:

Barry Longyear (story), Edward Khmara (screenplay) (as Ed Khmara)

Stars:

Dennis Quaid, Louis Gossett Jr., Brion James

2 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Dennis Quaid	...	Davidge
Louis Gossett Jr.	...	Drac
Brion James	...	Stubbs
Richard Marcus	...	Arnold
Carolyn McCormick	...	Morse
Bumper Robinson	...	Zammis
Jim Mapp	...	Old Drac
Lance Kerwin	...	Wooster
Scott Kraft	...	Jonathan
Lou Michaels	...	Wilson (as Lou Micheals)
Andy Geer	...	Bates
Henry Stolow	...	Cates
Herb Andress	...	Hopper
Danmar	...	Wise Guy
Mandy Hausenberger	...	1st Medic

Storyline

A soldier from Earth crashlands on an alien world after sustaining battle damage. Eventually, he encounters another survivor, but from the enemy species he was fighting. They band together to survive on this hostile world. In the end, the human finds himself caring for his enemy in a completely unexpected way.

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Plot Keywords:

title same as book | first person narration | protagonist as narrator | unknown planet | man tied up | 

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Taglines:

Enemies because they were taught to be. Allies because they had to be. Brothers because they dared to be.

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Drama | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

PG-13

Did You Know?

Trivia

Quaid used three different knives in back-to-back scenes so it was easy to keep switching them.

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Goofs

Davidge refers to the meteorite shower as "meteors". Meteors burn up in the atmosphere. If it makes it to the ground, it's a meteorite.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Davidge: [opening narration] By late in the 21st century, the nations of the Earth were finally at peace, working together to explore and colonize the distant reaches of space. Unfortunately, we weren't alone out there. A race of non-human aliens called the Dracs were claiming squatters' rights to some of the richest star systems in the galaxy. Well, they weren't going to get it without a fight. Space was the new battleground. For many of us, Earth became a precious memory, light-years away....

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Alternate Versions

The UK cinema version had been shortened by the distributors before release following negative reviews in the US and was then cut by 27 secs by the BBFC for a PG certificate with edits made to the severed ear sequence. The cuts were restored to the 1987 15-rated video release and the full US version was released on DVD in 2002.

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Connections

Featured in Starfilm (2017)

User Reviews

I can't believe this isn't shown more often...

This is a sci-fi film with a heart as big as all outdoors. It also (refreshingly) sticks very closely to it's source material (a short novel with the same title by Barry Longyear.) The plot synopsis gives the broad outline of the film, but what I really love about this film is how it deals with the issues of the insanity of war, and prejudice. It is this that raises it above most other sci-fi films, good as they may be. If you like intelligent sci-fi, watch this (or try reading it!!)

Details

Country:

USA West Germany UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 December 1985 (USA)

Also Known As:

Enemy Mine

Filming Locations:

Lanzarote, Canary Islands, Spain

Box Office

Budget:

$40,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$1,594,702, 22 December 1985

Gross USA:

$12,303,411

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$12,303,411

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox, Kings Road Entertainment, SLM Production Group

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1